The impact of the coronavirus continues to grow, as a number of Marlins players and staffers have contracted it, as well as others around Major League Baseball.
In fact, the total number of those in the Marlins organization that have become infected has now risen to 18, and the season has only been underway for less than one week. The league has already been forced to cancel and reschedule games, and in a 60-game campaign, that act can only be pulled off so many times.
As such, it’s clear that MLB is losing its wiggle room, and even its commissioner has made light of it. Rob Manfred has reportedly warned some around the league of a possible season shutdown, due to the impact of the coronavirus, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN.
His report reads:
Should another outbreak materialize, Manfred, who has the power to shut down the season, could move in that direction. Multiple players briefed on the call fear the season could be shut down as soon as Monday if positive tests jump or if players continue not to strictly abide by the league’s protocols.
It seems like the league is only a few more infections away from having to suspend play, and if we had to guess, that will likely end up happening at some point in the future. The virus is simply too big of a factor to ignore, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
